There are two forms of empathy / telepathy: One, which works on a "passive" basis, and another, working on an "active" basis. "Passive" empathy, as I call it, would be the actual "empathy", i.e. the receiving of emotion(s). I call it "passive", because it works just like that. It's like something happens, and you notice it automatically. Think of it as this: whenever there is a sound in your vicinity that you are able to hear, you hear it. You listen to it with your ears, and it works automatically.
The same goes for empathy / telepathy. It is like another organ of your body is used to receive the information. (Most probably it is the pituitary gland.) In the actual text I'm going to describe that a little more in detail (however, I cannot "scientifically" confirm, if it is the pituitary gland indeed). The "active" empathy (or telepathy) is done by actively using your will to try to "feel" another entity / thing etc. (i.e. a human, an ET, an animal, a situation etc. ). This is, as I see it, what is done when doing Remote Viewing, what is done when sending thoughts, and so on. You do not automatically do it, except when creating an emotion.
Think of it as willfully taking an object with your hand, for example (= i.e., you have a part of your body, which you have to use through your own will to exert an action). "Active" empathy would, for example, be the type of empathy as a psychiatrist would see "empathy", that is, trying to imagine what another human might think of / feel in a certain situation etc..
Now, to the concept of "telepathy": Telepathy, as I see it, occurs in many ways. In terms of sending and receiving other peoples' thoughts, it can occur automatically in conjunction with "passive" empathy. The receiver does not need to be in a mentally relaxed state. However, a relaxed mind certainly helps to discern between the various types of "felt" information. An example: Somebody is angry with you, because he thinks you have done something foolish. In that case, you can feel the emotion of "anger", and there are also, sporadically, words seeming to "flow" into your mind, like, for example, "idiot" or "fool" or whole phrases, like "what a fool" etc..
Now, two things can be true, according to what I know about it (and others told me about it when asked):
In "passive" empathy, the emotions or - I don't quite know how to phrase it - "data" seem to have to be linked to yourself in a way. One can, for example, not only feel other people's emotions, but also certain premonitions, like an impending danger, and so on. Whenever a person creates an emotion, for example someone getting afraid, and it is linked to another person in a way, the other person can (automatically) receive it. (Example: Someone threatening another one with a letter etc. . ) Otherwise, the second person could "actively look for" the first person's emotions, to see if he / she is afraid, if the second person has a "bad feeling" about the first, but the feeling being not the actual fear of the first person, but rather the situation linked to one's own consciousness. (Not really good explained, I know - the actual text should make it clearer. )